


The Boy Next Door

by wholock1860



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Genderfluid Crowley (Good Omens), Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Multi, Neighbors, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-09-07 07:43:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20305912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholock1860/pseuds/wholock1860
Summary: Crowley lives in lower Tadfeild but what happens when a certain mysterious blonde-haired person named Aziraphale moves in next door? Human AU





	1. Chapter 1

Cowley was a botanist living in lower Tadfeild. His cottage was small and quaint with a large extravagant garden in the back yard. Crowley was currently out watering his plants when he heard a loud bang from the front of the house. He turned off his hose and walked out to see what was happening, and that's when he saw a man next to a moving truck looking quite distressed. The man was holding a large box labeled books but the bottom of it had fallen out leaving the books. "Oh bugger." the man muttered as he began picking the books with a deep frown. For some reason Crowley found himself compelled to help the guy. He walked over and began helping pick the books up off of the ground.

The man looked up and smiled. He stood up with an armful of books. "Oh thank you so much. I must have packed too many in the same box." he said watching as Crowley stood up as well. "No problem at all. Where do I put these down?" He asked looking at the slightly smaller man in front of him. The man nodded and began walking to the cottage next door to Crowleys. "Yes, right this way." he said opening the door and setting the books down on the kitchen counter. Crowley followed and set the books down. "So are you moving in here then?"The man nodded. "Yes, I am. It's quite a nice house and it's very clear that the neighbors take good care of their yards as well. Have you seen the garden next door? It is absolutely stunning." He said causing Crowley to blush and chuckle a bit. "Yes actually, it is my garden. I live next door. My name is Anthony J. Crowley, but you can just call me Crowley." he said holding out his hand.

The man gasped and grasped his hand giving it a nice shake. "Hello! I'm Aziraphale and I prefer not to use my last name so let's leave it at that shall we?" he said with a bright smile. "It is such a pleasure to meet you and might I say that garden of yours is excellent! Honestly, it sold me on this house. I think it is a very stunning view from my back window." he said causing Crowley to blush even more. 

Crowley chuckled. "W-Well thank you." He said a bit flustered. "I know quite a bit about plants. I'm a botanist." Aziraphale gasped slightly. "That's very exciting! I'm just a boring old English Professor." he said looking interested at Crowley. "Do you need help with any more boxes?" He asked looking at the nearly empty house. It was very clear that Aziraphale had only just started to move in. Aziraphale took a deep breath and smiled. "You really don't have to help I-" Crowley cut him off "Nonsense, let's go get the rest of your things shall we?" he asked walking to the door, followed by Aziraphale who had quite a large grin.

They finished bringing in all of the boxes and a few pieces of furniture before collapsing on the couch. "Thank you so much! I insist you stay for dinner." Aziraphale got up and walked to the kitchen. "I do hope you enjoy spaghetti. I'm afraid it is all that I have at the moment. " Crowley walked to the kitchen after the smaller man and began laughing. "How about we just go out. You haven't even set up your dining room table yet. Don't worry I'll pay." he said walking to the door.   
Aziraphale stood stunned for a moment before following him. As they walked out Aziraphale caught a glimpse of a vintage Bentley parked in Crowley's driveway. The men walked over to it and Aziriphale hesitantly touched the door handle as Crowley got into the car. The blonde man got in and admired the interior. "This is a very beautiful car."

Crowley beamed with pride. "Thanks! She's in perfect condition and she's an original!" Aziraphale rubbed his hands together. "I'm afraid that I might mess it up if I touch it too much." This caused Crowley to laugh a bit. "Don't worry my mum owns an auto shop and I worked there before I became a botanist. I can keep her looking nice." Aziraphale just nodded and smiled. They went to dinner at the ritz. When they got back it was late so Aziraphale and Crowley got out of the car and gazed at each other. Crowley was the first to break the eye-contact. "Well, I should get into bed. Big day tomorrow unpacking and putting up furniture and such. Goodbye, thank you for the lovely evening. " Az said beginning to walk away. Crowley shouted after him. "Y-You know if you want I can come over after work and help you." For some reason, Crowley felt drawn to helping the man.

Aziraphale quickly spun around and smiled the brightest smile that Crowley had ever seen. It made his heart leap out of his chest. "That does sound lovely. Thank you so much." He said before walking into his own house leaving Crowley staring at the door, heart beating wildly. "Well, now that's not good." He said to himself. "No, you are not going to fall for him of all people. Get a hold of yourself, Crowley. I'm sure its a fluke, go to sleep and when you wake you won't be thinking about him. Yeah, I'm sure that will work."....

It didn't work


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Crowley went to work. He began with his research on a rare plant species called the Desmodium Gyrans or as Crowley liked to call it, the Dancing Plant. He called it this because when exposed to direct sunlight or vibrations, it would move on its own ((Yes this is a real plant!)). It was his personal favorite thing to study because it meant he could listen to Queen while looking in his microscope all day. During his research, he got an idea. What if he brought Aziraphale a plant. It couldn't be a Dancing Plant due to their rare state. It would have to be something common yet beautiful. He spent the entire second half of the day deciding on what plant to get his new neighbor. That's when he found the perfect plant. It was a medium-sized Hypoestes Phyllostachya or polka dot plant. He grabbed one in the pink color rather than the white and took it out with him as he clocked out for the day.

He drove home with a confident smile. Crowley looked over to the plant and said "Now you be good for Aziraphale. He is a very...nice...man and if I find out that you misbehaved for him then you really won't like what I do next." He pulled into the driveway and got out taking the terrified plant with him. Crowley walked over to Azraphales house and knocked on the door. When it oped there was a very exasperated looking Aziriphale in the doorway. "Crowley hello!" he said giving a smile."Sorry, I'm a bit flustered at the moment. I seem to be having a very difficult time understanding the instructions on putting my furniture together."

Crowley smiled "Well I'm here to help. Oh, also I got you this from work. It needs medium to low sunlight and a high drainage pot if you want to keep it in good condition. I um I hope you like it. " He handed the plant to Aziraphale who gasped and smiled a very bright smile. "Thank you ever so much! I promise to follow those instructions. Come in." He said walking into the house and putting the plant on a newly assembled bookshelf. Crowley spent the rest of the night helping Aziraphale set up his furniture. This included the table, the other 3 bookshelves, the television stand, the side table, the bed frame, the nightstand, and the wardrobe. They also hung up the curtains and several pictures. "We only have a few more to hang could you hand me another please." Aziraphale said as he finished hanging up a picture of a white owl. 

Crowley looked around for more frames when he found a box with the label pictures. He opened it and looked at the picture inside. It didn't have a frame but it was a very nice portrait of Aziraphale and what looked like his family. Crowley examined it and frowned. Aziraphale looked absolutely miserable in the portrait. He shrugged and gave it Aziraphale anyway thinking that maybe the painter just couldn't capture the man correctly. When handed the picture Aziraplale gasped almost as if it pained him to look at it. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Actually I don't think that I'll be hanging this one up." He said giving his best smile, but Crowley could tell it wasn't a real smile, it lacked the usual brightness. Crowley frowned "Is everything alright?" he asked as he was handed the portrait to put back in the box.

Aziraphale nodded and pulled a picture of a polar bear from a different box. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine." He said hanging the picture. Crowley put the picture back and helped finish the pictures. Once they were done the two sat at the table and enjoyed a nice homecooked meal by Aziraphale. He made fried fish and vegetables. While they were eating Aziraphale sill wasn't acting normally. Crowley looked up at the other and sighed. "Look I'm going to be blunt here. That picture obviously brought up some feelings for you and I'm not going to make you talk about them but I'm just letting you know I'll listen if you ever do want to get it off of your chest."

Aziraphale looked at Crowley and gave him a small sincere smile. "I-I thank you but I wouldn't want to burden you with my problems." He said. "You aren't listening. Your problems wouldn't be a burden. I-I know we've only known each other for two days but I like to think you and I will be good friends...I've never really had friends before but I know that they help each other when one of them is upset so if you tell me what's making you upset I might be able to help you.' Crowley looked to Aziraphale for a response and he saw the other man in tears. Crowley looked, he didn't know what to do. It's not like he's ever comforted a crying adult before and he was certain that the tricks he used on children to cheer them up wouldn't work. He sat flustered for a moment before reaching over and giving Az an awkward pat on the back. "Um...D-Did I say something wrong?"

Aziraphale shook his head and wiped the tears he looked up at Crowley. "No quite the opposite in fact. I have had a rough time these past few months and that little statement made me feel much...much safer." he said quietly. "I really do appreciate it...However, if you truly don't mind there are a few things that I would like to get a bit of help with." he said hopefully. Crowley nodded and led Az to the couch where they sat down next to each other. "Alright, then I'm all ears."


	3. Chapter 3

Aziraphale looked at Crowley and took a deep breath. "Alright, I need you to promise me something. I-I usually don't tell people my history but for some reason, I feel compelled to trust you. So, here is my rule...If I tell you this it is incredibly important to me that you tell no one." Crowley put a hand on Aziraphale's shoulder. "I promise," he said pushing his sunglasses up higher on his face. Aziraphale stood up and grabbed two bottles of wine from the wine cabinet and sat back down. He handed Crowley a bottle and took a drink from his own. "Alright here goes nothing...The reason that I didn't want to tell you my last name is because you would have instantly recognized it. My full name is Aziraphale Fell...You might know my brother Gabriel..."

Crowley gasped. "W-Wait Fell...as in the Fell family manufacturing company? Your family owns almost all of England's manufacturing plants." He said in awe. Aziraphale just shrugged. "Yes, they do...I don't talk to them much anymore. They disapprove of my so-called life choices."Crowley looked confused for a minute before Az elaborated. "My family disapproves of my homosexuality as if it is a choice that I made. When I told them, they cut me out. My brother visits occasionally but only to try and convince me to go to conversion therapy. Every time I try to reach out they just shame me and make me feel like less of a person. I miss them but if all they want to do is change me I need to move on. That's why I got a new job and moved here. I came to start over and be myself. " He was in tears by the end of his speech and Crowley knew exactly how he felt.

"You know I think I found the reason why I always want to help you...We have very similar stories. My family wasn't exactly thrilled when I told them that I was gender fluid so I moved here. I guess we aren't so different. What you've got to remember is that family doesn't always have to be blood. Have you ever heard the saying blood is thicker than water? Well, the actual quote is the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. That means that bonds you form outside of genetics can sometimes be more connected to you than your actual family. There is no one saying that you can't make a new family. One made up of people who never want to change you. People who think that you are perfect the way that you are."

Suddenly before he could say anything else, Crowley was being hugged. Aziraphale was hugging him very tightly making him smile. Crowley hugged him back as Aziraphale let tears fall from his eyes. "T-Thank you so much, Crowley." he pulled away and wiped his eye. "Oh and also just tell me which pronouns you prefer on any given time and I will follow them." he said giving a smile. "I will, I usually go by either she or he but every once in awhile I'll go by they."  
Crowley smiled and chuckled catching a glimpse of the clock. t was currently one-thirty AM. "Wow look at the time. I guess I should go home then?" he almost asked. Aziraphale frowned a bit but nodded, looking at his watch. "I suppose so. Um...If you arent busy tomorrow I would love to meet for dinner. " Crowley agreed and they parted ways until five-thirty the next day.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A week passed and Aziraphale had started his job at Tadfeild University. He was finishing up his lesson for that day when he saw Crowley walk in. His face lit up as he smiled at the other. No one seemed to notice except one particular student. Her name was Anathema Device, a philosophy major attending the school. As soon as she saw Crowley walk into the room she noticed how her professor's eyes softened and his smile widened. That is when she came to the conclusion that this was Professor Aziraphale's boyfriend?....husband?...whatever they were it was more than friends. As Aziraphale dismissed his class Crowley walked down to the front of the room and gave Aziraphale a small hug. Aziraphale, of course, hugged back and Anathema gave her professor a knowing smile before walking out, to give them privacy. Crowley and Aziraphale, however, were not dating. They were merely friends. 

"Hey Aziraphale, I thought we could have lunch together." Crowley looked at the board filled with notes on how to cite sources properly and let out an amused hum. "Never did understand MLA format. I'm more of an APA kinda' guy." Aziraphale smiled. "Of course you are, you do work in the science field after all." he rationalized as he pulled a ham sandwich from his desk. "Shall we?"

Crowley nodded and sat down he wasn't actually hungry he just wanted to see Aziraphale. Az began to eat joyfully. "Ah yes, I've been meaning ask you if you would like to go shopping with me tomorrow. I need to get another bookshelf and I'm not quite sure what would go best with Anthony Jr. " Crowley looked at Aziraphale very confused. "Um....Who the hell is Anthony Jr." Aziraphale smiled proudly. "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you. That is the name of the plant you gave me. I'm very proud to say that he is doing so very well. I've followed your directions perfectly if I do say so myself. He will go front and center on the new shelf so I would like one that compliments him nicely. Would you like to help me?"

Crowley listened and teared up behind his glasses. He hid it very well though. Why did this man care about him so much? He just couldn't figure out why Az made him so...fuzzy inside. It was like everything the man did was undeniably adorable. For example just two days ago Crowley taught him how to use Amazon and during the process, Az bought a surprise for him and wouldn't tell him what it was. He was still waiting to find out what it was and every day Aziraphale texts him an update on where the package is...Wait if he's not wrong the package should have shown up t- "OH YES CROWLEY YOUR SURPRISE IS HERE! THE NICE POSTMAN DROPPED IT OFF THIS MORNING!"

Crowley was snapped out of his thoughts to find a neatly wrapped present. Az must have wrapped it before work. "Have you been carrying that around all day?" he asked fondly. Az just nodded. "You pop in unannounced so I thought I'd be prepared." Crowley smiled and opened the package. He looked inside and gasped. "A-Aziraphale you...This is amazing thank you so much." He said with tears in his eyes. Inside of the box was three necklaces each with a different gender label. Crowley looked at the necklaces in awe. "I-I remember you telling me that you identify usually as male or female but sometimes as non-binary so I put the they/them necklace in as well," Az said shyly. Crowley stood up and hugged Aziraphale crying. "You are the first person to accept me like this. T-Thank you." he said. Aziraphale hugged back. "You deserve it." he said quietly. They pulled away and Aziraphale helped put the he/him necklace on. It was then that Crowley knew that he was going to fall in love.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((There are a few offensive slurs in this chapter. Sorry everyone but Gabriel is an ass in this book...well at first anyway.))

Another week passed and Aziraphale was getting ready for dinner. Crowley promised him that they would go out to the nice restaurant that just opened up. It was one of those posh restaurants that were black tie only. He was very excited and nearly jumped for joy when the doorbell rang. When he opened it up he was greeted by the sight of Crowley wearing this beautifully elegant, yet sexy black lace dress. She was also wearing the necklace labeled she/her. She had a full face of makeup including bright red lipstick and on-point eyeliner. Her hair looked a lot longer than usual due to very long extensions that stretched down her back to her bottom.

Aziraphale was speechless, she looked incredible. "How do I look?" she asked looking at Aziraphale. He snapped out of his thoughts and smiled wide. "You look absolutely ravishing!" he said breathlessly as he looked at her. "You are very beautiful. Shall we leave?" he asked holding out his arm for her to take. Crowley nodded and smiled a bit taking his arm and walking to the car. 

"Crowley will you be able to drive in those heels?" he asked. She just laughed "I'm wounded by your lack of faith Aziraphale. Of course, I can drive in six-inch heels." she said proudly as she got into the car. Az got into the other side and they drove to the restaurant together. As they arrived Crowley got a few strange looks, but it was nothing that he wasn't used to. They walked into the restaurant and got seated.

As they were eating, a man approached looking kind of angry. Crowley had seen the man before but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then suddenly without warning Aziraphale grabbed her hand. "H-Help me." he said quietly. The man walked up to them and began talking rather angrily. "Aziraphale where the hell have you been? You leave without warning, won't answer your phone, and now I see you in a restaurant with a...a...a tranny?!" Crowley looked shocked and a bit hurt. Who was this man and why was he talking to Az like this?

Crowley spoke up. "Um excuse you but what right do you have to talk to him like that?" she said angrily. The man looked at Crowley and made a disgusted face. "I'm his brother and if you'll excuse me I wasn't addressing you so how about you just shut up, sir."

With this remark, Aziraphale stood up. "Gabriel that is enough! You will not insult her like that! I will not allow it! First of all Crowley is a female! Second of all the reason that I left is because of situations such as this one! I know you do not agree with my sexual orientation or lifestyle but that gives you no right whatsoever to insult this beautiful woman of whom I've grown very fond. Now, if you would excuse me I would like to have a nice dinner with said woman. Goodbye, Gabriel." 

Crowley looked up at Aziraphale who was livid. She smiled slightly and grabbed his hand. "Azi, it's alright dear, some people just can not handle our perfect lifestyle." She stood up with him and glared at Gabriel. "Sir I would really love it if you would kindly fuck off. Me and my friend would like some time away from your intolerant bullshit." She sat back down and gestured to the food. "Shall we?" 

Aziraphale nodded and sat back down. He looked at Gabe and said. "Yes, in fact, do leave. I'd rather not have your disapproval ruining my life." he began to eat his crepes. Gabriel stood dumbfounded. "Are you just going to let him talk to me like that Aziraphale?! You obviously need to come back home and figure out how to treat your family because if t-" he was cut off by Aziraphale. "You are no family of mine. I am making a new family, one made of people who love and accept me unlike you. Crowley is an amazing person and SHE makes me happy. You, on the other hand, do not make me happy. You make me incredibly angry and self-conscious so I have decided that I do not need you or any of the others in my life. Now for the last time, you need to leave!" he snapped.

Crowley put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down as Gabriel walked away looking extremely shocked. Crowley looked at the very angry Aziraphale and sighed. "Don't let him get to you Azi. He's an asshole and you don't need him in your life." Aziraphale nodded and looked at Crowley he had tears running down his face. "I-I'm not hungry anymore would you like the rest of my food?" he asked quietly. Crowley frowned deeply. "Aziraphale how about we take this food home and eat it. I can tell you aren't feeling well. Especially if you are refusing to eat crepes. "Aziraphale just nodded and stood. Crowley packed the food and the two left.

When they got home Aziraphale broke down in Crowley's arms. She held him as he cried. "Why can they not accept me? Why do they have to hate me so much? Am I really that unlovable?" Crowley tilted Aziraphales head up and looked into his watery eyes. "No there is not a single bit of you that is unlovable Aziraphale. You are absolutely incredible. There is no good reason why they act that way other than they are intolerant idiots. You are a perfect Angel." she said gently running her fingers through his hair.

Aziraphale smiled a little bit. "C-Could you call me that more often? I quite like it." he said making the woman in front of him, smile. She giggled a bit and said. "Of course, Angel."They stayed cuddling on the couch for quite some time before they both fell asleep still in their fancy clothing. Neither of them seemed to mind as long as they stayed in each other's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a little short.

It had been a few days since the restaurant issue and they two were still hanging out on almost a daily basis. Today they were at the furniture store buying that bookshelf. Crowley was looking at a sleek black one. "Hey, angel how about this one?" Aziraphale sighed and ran his fingers over the wood. "I'm not sure it would go with the rest of the house. Maybe we cou-" he was cut off by the voice of a young woman. "Mr.Fell?" The exclamation caused both boys to look over.

"Anathema what a wonderful surprise." Aziraphale said walking over to his student. Crowley followed with a bit of confusion. "Angel, who is she?" he asked looking at the girl. "This is one of my students. Anathema this is my dear friend Crowley." Anathema looked at Crowley and smiled. She saw his necklace and nodded. The man obviously went by more than one gender. "Hello, sir its a pleasure to meet you."

Crowley looked skeptical but waved anyway. "Hi." he said putting a protective arm around Azi. Aziraphale blushed but didn't move. This is when Anathema formed a plan in her head. She decided that she has to get the two together. "So professor is this the Crowley that you talk about in class? You know the one that gave you that pretty plant on your computer background?"

Aziraphale blushed even brighter as Crowley looked over to him surprised. "You made Anthony Jr your computer background?" Azi nodded and looked back. "I couldn't help it he is absolutely beautiful." Crowley smiled a small smile. "I-I'm glad you liked the gift." Azi looked back to Anathema and smiled. "What brings you here Anathema?"

Anathema smiled "Well I'm looking for a desk for my course work. I've been trying to make a study room. Aziraphale smiled wide "Well there was a nice desk over this way. Let us s-" He was cut off by Crowley sitting on top of a nice sleek desk. "Here get this one. Now come on Angel I'm hungry." He hopped off and grabbed Aziraphale's arm. 'Let's gooooooooo." He wined. Aziraphale hit his arm. "Crowley be polite. Why are you being so jealous today?" He asked looking at the other man. 

Crowley blushed and pulled away. " I'm not jealous." He mumbled looking at Anathema who was holding in laughter. Anathema smirked at the two. "Professor it's alright if you need to go. I know my boyfriend would get impatient if I was talking to someone else." She giggled as both men blushed a bright red. "Anathema dear, Crowley and me are not dating!" Azi said defensively.

Anathema smirked and chuckled a bit. Aziraphale looked over to Crowley who was walking to the closest desk to distract himself from thinking about the thought of dating Aziraphale. Azi then looked back to Anathema who was smirking wide. "Anyway professor I think the desk that your friend picked is perfect. I'm going to buy that one." She said walking over to the desk and smiling. "Thank you both. I will see you guys later." She said walking to a sales associate to get the desk. Aziraphale walked over to Crowley.

"S-So would you like to grab a meal?" Aziraphale asked with a kind smile. Crowley nodded. "Of course, Angel. Why don't we just go back to my place and order pizza?" Aziraphale nodded as an answer. "But first, I need to buy the bookshelf that we found." Aziraphale ordered it and had it shipped to his house. They went back to Crowley's house and sat on the couch watching Doctor Who.

As they sat Azi slowly got closer to Crowley util they were basically cuddling. Crowley put his arm around Aziraphale and smiled, blushing slightly. He pushed his sunglasses further up onto his nose and looked at the smaller man. Aziraphale was watching the Daleks run around on the TV nervously. When they shot he would jump a bit and get closer to Crowley. Crowley chuckled a bit. "Hey don't worry. I'll protect you from the scary aliens." He whispered. 

Azi looked up at him with those big blue eyes. "You promise?" he asked in a very childlike fashion. Crolwey's heart melted. "Of course I promise, Angel. I will always protect you." He said as the doorbell rang for their Chinese food. Aziraphale went to get it and when he came back Doctor Who was over and another show was coming on so Crowley switched to Netflix and put on The Great British Baking Show.

As they ate the boys had pleasant conversation. They laughed and smiled together. During his time hanging out with Aziraphale Crowley realized something. He had never been this close to someone in his life. This scared Crowley so after Azi left he walked over to his laptop and did some google searches on why he felt this way. He couldn't be....no there was no way....There is no way that AJ Crowley was...in love!


End file.
